Mathematician Takes Top Spot in Job Ranking Study

The Wall Street Journal (1/6, Needleman) reports that, according to a study from the jobsite CareerCast.com ranking the best and worst jobs, the occupation of mathematician ranked the highest of all jobs examined. "The study, to be released Tuesday...evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress." Mathematicians ranked highly "in part because they typically work in favorable conditions" and "aren't expected to do any heavy lifting, crawling or crouching." Additionally, median annual income for the profession is $94,160. Other highly rated jobs include statistician, biologist, software engineer, physicist, medical laboratory technician and computer programmer.